Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and non-transitory computer readable medium

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus (10) is for supporting work by a user who uses drawings for a plant. The information processing apparatus (10) includes a controller (15). The controller (15) is configured to convert a drawing including elements configuring the plant into an abstract model represented by element information indicating the elements and connection information indicating a connection relationship between the elements. The controller (15) is configured to generate display information, when it is judged that a difference exists between one abstract model based on one drawing and another abstract model based on another drawing, for displaying the differing portion in a different form than another portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2020-039174 filed Mar. 6, 2020, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus,an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer readablemedium.

BACKGROUND

For construction and maintenance of plants, for example, users haveneeded to handle a large volume of drawings for the same equipment.Technology has been developed for supporting operations by a user whouses such drawings for a plant.

For example, patent literature (PTL) 1 discloses a plant design supportapparatus and a plant design support program that enable efficientdiscovery of missing design information, copying errors, and the like atthe time of plant design.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: JP 6228681 B2

SUMMARY

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment is forsupporting work by a user who uses drawings for a plant. The informationprocessing apparatus includes a controller configured to convert adrawing including elements configuring the plant into an abstract modelrepresented by element information indicating the elements andconnection information indicating a connection relationship between theelements, and generate display information, when it is judged that adifference exists between one abstract model based on one drawing andanother abstract model based on another drawing, for displaying adiffering portion in a different form than another portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of aninformation processing system that includes an information processingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating details of acontroller based on functional units to illustrate the functions of acontroller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pre-changedrawing that includes elements configuring a plant;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a post-changedrawing that includes elements configuring a plant;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of display ofelement information and connection information in a second abstractmodel;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for concretely illustrating a firstexample of operations;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart based on the first example of operations;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for illustrating a modification related tocontrol, executed by an element extraction unit of the controller, toextract a series chain in the first example of operation;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram, corresponding to FIG. 3B, illustratingan example of a post-change drawing that includes elements configuring aplant;

FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram, corresponding to FIG. 8A, in which theseries chain of FIG. 8A is arranged for easier viewing;

FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram illustrating a first abstract modelgenerated by the element extraction unit of the controller based on FIG.8B;

FIG. 8D is a schematic diagram illustrating a second abstract modelyielded by further simplifying FIG. 8C;

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a secondabstract model yielded by conversion of the drawing in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a secondabstract model yielded by conversion of the drawing in FIG. 3B;

FIG. 9C is a schematic diagram in which the second abstract models ofFIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are arrayed vertically;

FIG. 9D is a schematic diagram in which the second abstract models ofFIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are arrayed horizontally;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart based on a second example of operations;

FIG. 11A is a schematic drawing illustrating an example of a firstdrawing based on a first format;

FIG. 11B is a schematic drawing illustrating an example of a seconddrawing based on a second format;

FIG. 11C is a schematic drawing illustrating an example of anintermediate model generated by the controller for the first drawing ofFIG. 11A; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart based on a third example of operations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Plant equipment is generally large scale, and many operations from manyperspectives are necessary. For example, during various types of design,construction/remodeling, and maintenance of a plant, the amount of workby a user who handles a large amount of drawings for the same equipmentis enormous. Accordingly, demand exists for increased work efficiencywhen checking for differences between drawings after the creation ofsuch a large amount of drawings, for example.

It would be helpful to provide an information processing apparatus, aninformation processing method, and a non-transitory computer readablemedium that improve work efficiency by a user who uses drawings for aplant.

An information processing apparatus according to an embodiment is forsupporting work by a user who uses drawings for a plant. The informationprocessing apparatus includes a controller configured to convert adrawing including elements configuring the plant into an abstract modelrepresented by element information indicating the elements andconnection information indicating a connection relationship between theelements, and generate display information, when it is judged that adifference exists between one abstract model based on one drawing andanother abstract model based on another drawing, for displaying adiffering portion in a different form than another portion. Theefficiency of work by a user who uses drawings for a plant therebyimproves. The user can compare the content of a plurality of drawingsvisually and confirm the differing portion and the like quickly andaccurately in the abstract model displayed as display information.

In the information processing apparatus according to an embodiment, theabstract model may include a first abstract model for processing by thecontroller and a second abstract model, yielded by conversion of thefirst abstract model, for display to the user, and the controller may beconfigured to convert elements arranged in series among the elementsincluded in the drawing into element information arranged in series inthe first abstract model and in the second abstract model. Thisfacilitates a comparison of elements (series chain) connected in seriesbetween a plurality of drawings for comparison and facilitatesconfirmation of the comparison results (visual confirmation by theuser). Since the display of the second abstract model based on a serieschain is extremely concise, the user can easily confirm changes.Consequently, work efficiency increases, and omissions and mistakes inconfirmation by the user are reduced. The work by a user who handles alarge volume of drawings for the same equipment can thereby be performedaccurately in a short time, and the occurrence of work errors and fataldefects in the plant can be suppressed during design, construction, andmaintenance of a large-scale plant. The first abstract model forprocessing and the second abstract model for display may be the sameformat or different formats. When a first abstract model exclusively forprocessing is provided, it does not matter whether the model isdisplayable.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the controllermay be configured to arrange pieces of the element informationdetermined to be identical between one first abstract model and anotherfirst abstract model so that positions of the pieces of the elementinformation in an array direction are identical in the second abstractmodel. The element information is thereby arrayed in a more organizedmanner. Consequently, the second abstract model is more visible for theuser.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the controllermay be configured to arrange pieces of the element informationdetermined to be identical between the one first abstract model and theanother first abstract model so that the pieces of the elementinformation are facing along one grid line among a plurality of gridlines separated in the array direction at predetermined intervals in thesecond abstract model. The user can thereby see at a glance which piecesof element information are identical. The efficiency and accuracy ofwork by the user therefore improve.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, whencorresponding element information is missing in one of the one firstabstract model and the another first abstract model, the controller maybe configured to display one second abstract model and another secondabstract model in a state without the facing element information. Theuser can thereby easily extract the differing portion between one secondabstract model and another second abstract model.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the controllermay be configured to convert elements arranged in parallel among theelements included in the drawing into element information arranged inparallel in the first abstract model and in the second abstract model.This facilitates a comparison of groups of elements arranged in parallelbetween a plurality of drawings for comparison and facilitatesconfirmation of the comparison results. Since the display of the secondabstract model based on such groups of elements is concise, the user caneasily confirm changes. Consequently, work efficiency increases, andomissions and mistakes in confirmation by the user are reduced. The workby a user who handles a large volume of drawings for the same equipmentcan thereby be performed accurately in a short time, and the occurrenceof work errors and fatal defects in the plant can be suppressed duringdesign, construction, and maintenance of a large-scale plant.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the controllermay be configured to arrange pieces of the element informationdetermined to be identical between the one first abstract model and theanother first abstract model so that an arrangement relationship isidentical in each second abstract model, and positions of the pieces ofthe element information in one direction are identical in the secondabstract model. The user can thereby see at a glance which pieces ofelement information are identical. The efficiency and accuracy of workby the user therefore improve.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, when theconnection information associated with certain element information inone first abstract model is different from the connection informationassociated with element information determined to be identical to thecertain element information in another first abstract model, thecontroller may be configured to display one second abstract model andanother second abstract model in a state such that the connectioninformation differs. Such display enables the user to recognize easilythat the connection information differs between one second abstractmodel and another second abstract model. For example, to compare secondabstract models, it suffices for the user to focus on the change in thenumber of branches of each branch node, the change in the number oflines and end nodes, and the like. Omissions and the like by the userare therefore reduced, while efficiency and accuracy of work by the userimprove.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the elementinformation may include identification information for identifying theelements and attribute information of the elements, and the controllermay be configured to determine that pieces of the element informationare identical between one first abstract model and another firstabstract model based on at least one of the identification informationand the attribute information. The information processing apparatus canthereby easily identify identical pieces of element information. By thecontroller determining that pieces of element information are identicalbased on the attribute information in addition to or instead of theidentification information, the information processing apparatus canidentify identical pieces of element information more accurately evenwhen it cannot be determined whether pieces of element information areidentical based only on the identification information.

In the information processing apparatus of an embodiment, the displayinformation may include highlight information for highlighting thediffering portion based on at least one of a display color, a displayformat, a display line type, an additional display symbol, and anadditional display character. The user can thereby compare the contentof a plurality of drawings visually and confirm the differing portionand the like quickly and accurately in the second abstract modeldisplayed together with the highlight information. The efficiency andaccuracy of work by the user therefore improve.

An information processing method according to an embodiment is forexecution by an information processing apparatus that supports work by auser who uses drawings for a plant. The information processing methodincludes converting a drawing including elements configuring the plantinto an abstract model represented by element information indicating theelements and connection information indicating a connection relationshipbetween the elements, judging whether a difference exists between oneabstract model based on one drawing and another abstract model based onanother drawing, and generating display information, when it is judgedthat the difference exists between the one abstract model and theanother abstract model, for displaying a differing portion in adifferent form than another portion. The efficiency of work by a userwho uses drawings for a plant thereby improves. The user can compare thecontent of a plurality of drawings visually and confirm the differingportion and the like quickly and accurately in the abstract modeldisplayed as display information.

A program according to an embodiment is for causing an informationprocessing apparatus that supports work by a user who uses drawings fora plant to execute processing including converting a drawing includingelements configuring the plant into an abstract model represented byelement information indicating the elements and connection informationindicating a connection relationship between the elements, judgingwhether a difference exists between one abstract model based on onedrawing and another abstract model based on another drawing, andgenerating display information, when it is judged that the differenceexists between the one abstract model and the another abstract model,for displaying a differing portion in a different form than anotherportion. The efficiency of work by a user who uses drawings for a plantthereby improves. The user can compare the content of a plurality ofdrawings visually and confirm the differing portion and the like quicklyand accurately in the abstract model displayed as display information.

According to the present disclosure, an information processingapparatus, an information processing method, and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium that improve work efficiency by a user who usesdrawings for a plant can be provided.

(Outline)

First, the outline of an information processing apparatus according toan embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

The information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure supports work, such as design, by a user who usesdrawings for a plant. In greater detail, the information processingapparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosurefacilitates identification or the like of changed portions of drawingsused for construction, refurbishment, or maintenance of a plant, forexample.

In addition to an industrial plant such as a chemical plant, examples ofthe “plant” in the present disclosure include a plant for managing awell site, such as a gas field or oil field, and the surrounding area.Additional examples of the plant may include a plant for managing powergeneration such as water power, thermal power, nuclear power, or thelike; a plant for managing environmental power generation such as solarpower, wind power, or the like; and a plant for managing water andsewage, a dam, or the like.

The equipment in such plants is large-scale, and the perspective andapproach the user takes during work differ for each element configuringthe plant, which includes main instruments, valves, pipes, and the like.Accordingly, multiple organizations or individuals participate and sharethe work required to create drawings, revise drawings, and the like. Atthis time, drawings that are for the same equipment and are used inconstruction, refurbishment, and maintenance of a plant, for example,come in many formats in accordance with application. In the presentdisclosure, the “drawing formats” include, for example, a process flowdiagram (PFD), a piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID), and a 3Dpiping diagram.

For a user who acts as a worker in design, renovation, or the like of aplant, the amount of work is enormous, and greater efficiency and areduction in costs are desired. Drawings that have already been createdare therefore generally reused. At this time, it may be the case thatthe content of a change to the same portion of the same equipment hasbeen reflected in one drawing but not reflected in another drawing.Among a plurality of drawings, different employees in charge may createthe same type of drawing (such as P&IDs), and the creation time maydiffer. Between different types of drawings, corrections made by anemployee in charge of a PFD may not have been reflected in a P&ID. Suchinconsistency between a plurality of drawings for the same equipment ispreferably discovered and resolved early.

For example, PTL 1 addresses the need for careful confirmation whenaggregating design information into a P&ID and discloses technology forsuppressing the occurrence of design errors. The plant design supportapparatus and the plant design support program disclosed in PTL 1 use apredetermined color to identify and display a control unit thatsatisfies a designated pickup condition in one drawing. Even if suchlocations are identified, however, the workload for the user to comparea plurality of drawings visually is extremely large. The work efficiencyof users who use drawings for a plant therefore also decreases.

Additionally, when the drawing format differs between drawings beingcompared, the content, form, and the like of elements (which devices andinformation are included) configuring the drawings differ betweendrawings, making a mechanical comparison difficult. Even if thecomparison can be made, it is difficult for the user to grasp whether adiffering portion between drawings being compared stems from an elementonly being depicted in one of the drawings due to a difference indrawing format, due to the actual addition or deletion of an element asplant equipment, or due to an element not being depicted properly in oneof the drawings for a reason such as human error, for example. Theworkload on the user for confirming such content of a differing portionis extremely large. Consequently, the work efficiency of users who usedrawings for a plant also decreases.

In light of these considerations, it would be helpful to provide aninformation processing apparatus that improves work efficiency by a userwho uses drawings for a plant.

To this end, an information processing apparatus according to anembodiment of the present disclosure converts a complex drawing thatincludes elements such as equipment and devices configuring a plant toan abstract model represented concisely using element informationindicating elements and connection information indicating connectionrelationships between elements.

The “element information” in the present disclosure includes elementgraphics, an element type attached to the element graphic and indicatingthe corresponding element, identification information for distinguishingbetween elements configuring a plant, and attribute information for theelements, for example. The “identification information” includes a tagnumber and identification (ID) unique to each device, equipment, or thelike, for example. The “attribute information” includes properties andparameters, for example. When the element is a tank, for example, theattribute information includes detailed information such as the type oftank, e.g. closed type, double wall type, or dome type, and parameterssuch as the material, volume, and upper and lower limits thereof. The“abstract model” in the present disclosure includes a first abstractmodel for processing by the controller 15, described below, and a secondabstract model, yielded by conversion of the first abstract model, fordisplay to the user, for example. The abstract model may, for example,be represented in tabular format such as Excel or by markup language,including Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and Extensible MarkupLanguage (XML). The first abstract model and the second abstract modelmay be the same format or different formats. In the case of the sameformat, one conversion is sufficient. If the original drawings can becompared, and the comparison result can be displayed as a highly visibleabstract model, then various comparison methods, including imagecomparison, may be used.

When it is judged that a difference exists between one abstract modelbased on one drawing and another abstract model based on anotherdrawing, the information processing apparatus according to an embodimentof the present disclosure generates display information for displaying adiffering portion in a different form than another portion that matcheswith no difference (simply referred to below as “another portion”). Inthe present application, the “display information” further includeshighlight information for highlighting the differing portion based on atleast one of a display color, a display format, a display line type, anadditional display symbol, and an additional display character, forexample. In the case of the display color, for example, the highlightinformation includes a first display color of element information in theother portion and a second display color, different from the firstdisplay color, of element information in the differing portion.

When it is judged that the format differs between a first drawing and asecond drawing that include an element configuring a plant, theinformation processing apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure generates an intermediate model, for at least one ofthe first drawing and the second drawing, such that the format of thefirst drawing and the format of the second drawing are matched. Theinformation processing apparatus judges whether a difference existsbetween the first drawing and the second drawing based on the generatedintermediate model. In the present disclosure, the “intermediate model”may, for example, include one form of abstract model. For example, whenelements are extracted from the drawings, the intermediate model isgenerated by each of the drawings for comparison being converted to thefirst abstract model after unnecessary elements are removed. Thisexample is not limiting, and when elements are extracted from thedrawings, the intermediate model may be generated by each of thedrawings for comparison being converted directly to the second abstractmodel after unnecessary elements are removed.

The configuration and operations of the information processing apparatusaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure are mainlydescribed below with reference to the drawings.

(Configuration)

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of aninformation processing system 1 that includes an information processingapparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Theconfiguration of the information processing system 1 including theinformation processing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure is mainly described with reference to FIG. 1. Inaddition to the information processing apparatus 10, the informationprocessing system 1 includes a terminal apparatus 20. The informationprocessing apparatus 10 and the terminal apparatus 20 are connected toeach other communicably by any appropriate communication technology. Tosimplify the explanation in FIG. 1, only one of each of the informationprocessing apparatus 10 and the terminal apparatus 20 are depicted. Twoor more of each of the information processing apparatus 10 and theterminal apparatus 20 may, however, be included in the informationprocessing system 1.

The information processing apparatus 10 is for supporting work by a userwho uses drawings for a plant. For example, the information processingapparatus 10 manages a large volume of drawings for the entire plant.The information processing apparatus 10 is one server apparatus or aplurality of communicably connected server apparatuses. The informationprocessing apparatus 10 is not limited to these examples and may be anygeneral-purpose electronic device, such as a personal computer (PC), oranother electronic device dedicated to the information processing system1.

The terminal apparatus 20 is a general-purpose electronic device such asa PC or a smartphone. The terminal apparatus 20 is, for example, aterminal apparatus used by a user who acts as a worker in designing ormaintaining a plant. For example, the terminal apparatus 20 is asupervisor terminal for a user in charge of a specific type of drawingor the like. The terminal apparatus 20 is not limited to these examplesand may be an electronic device dedicated to the information processingsystem 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 10includes a communication interface 11, a memory 12, an input interface13, an output interface 14, and a controller 15.

The communication interface 11 includes any appropriate communicationmodule capable of connecting and communicating with the terminalapparatus 20 by any appropriate communication technology. Thecommunication interface 11 may further include a communication controlmodule for controlling communication with the terminal apparatus 20 anda storage module for storing communication data, such as identificationinformation, necessary for communicating with the terminal apparatus 20.In an embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 is connectedcommunicably to the terminal apparatus 20 via the communicationinterface 11.

The memory 12 includes any storage module, such as a hard disk drive(HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random accessmemory (RAM). The memory 12 may, for example, function as a main storageapparatus, an auxiliary storage apparatus, or a cache memory. The memory12 stores any information used in operations of the informationprocessing apparatus 10. For example, the memory 12 may store systemprograms, application programs, various information received by thecommunication interface 11, and the like. The memory 12 is not limitedto being internal to the information processing apparatus 10 and may bean external database or an external storage module connected through adigital input/output port or the like, such as a universal serial bus(USB).

For example, the memory 12 stores various data for drawings includingelements configuring a plant based on the above-described drawingformat. The memory 12 stores a plurality of sets of data for a firstabstract model, yielded by abstraction of drawings including elementsconfiguring a plant, used in processing by the controller 15 and asecond abstract model for display on at least one of the informationprocessing apparatus 10 and the terminal apparatus 20, for example. Thememory 12 stores a plurality of sets of data for an intermediate model,for example, that matches the format of a first drawing to the format ofa second drawing. The memory 12 stores information on drawing rules,described below, determined for each of the above-described drawingformats, for example. The “drawing rules” in the present disclosureinclude an element table, for example, associating the plant elements tobe listed in each drawing with the corresponding drawing format.

Additionally, the memory 12 may store history information and involvedparty information, for example. The “history information” in the presentdisclosure includes, for example, the results of a comparison, performedby the controller 15, between a plurality of drawings, the background ofdrawing registration on the information processing apparatus 10, ahistory of notification to involved parties, and a history of contentdesignated by the user using the input interface 13. The “involved partyinformation” in the present disclosure includes, for example,identification information for the terminal apparatus 20, the emailaddresses of users as parties involved with design or maintenance of theplant, work responsibilities of users, and the like as destinationinformation at the time of presenting the comparison results fordrawings, requesting confirmation, and the like.

The input interface 13 includes one or more input interfaces thatreceive a user input operation and acquire input information based onthe user operation. The input interface 13 may, for example, be aphysical key, a capacitance key, a touchscreen provided integrally withthe display of the output interface 14, a microphone that receives audioinput, or the like, but these examples are not limiting.

The output interface 14 includes one or more output interfaces thatoutput information to the user to notify the user. For example, theoutput interface 14 may be a display that outputs information as images,a speaker that outputs information as sound, or the like, but theseexamples are not limiting. At least one of the input interface 13 andthe output interface 14 described above may be formed integrally withthe information processing apparatus 10 or be provided separately.

The controller 15 includes one or more processors. The “processor” in anembodiment is a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processorspecialized for particular processing, but these examples are notlimiting. The controller 15 is communicably connected with eachcomponent of the information processing apparatus 10 and controlsoperations of the information processing apparatus 10 overall.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the terminal apparatus 20 includes acommunication interface 21, a memory 22, an input interface 23, anoutput interface 24, and a controller 25.

The communication interface 21 includes any appropriate communicationmodule capable of connecting and communicating with the informationprocessing apparatus 10 by any appropriate communication technology. Thecommunication interface 21 may further include a communication controlmodule for controlling communication with the information processingapparatus 10 and a storage module for storing communication data, suchas identification information, necessary for communicating with theinformation processing apparatus 10. In an embodiment, the terminalapparatus 20 is connected communicably to the information processingapparatus 10 via the communication interface 21.

The memory 22 may include any appropriate storage module, such as anHDD, SSD, EEPROM, ROM, or RAM. The memory 22 may, for example, functionas a main storage apparatus, an auxiliary storage apparatus, or a cachememory. The memory 22 stores any information used in operations of theterminal apparatus 20. For example, the memory 22 may store systemprograms, application programs, various information received by thecommunication interface 21, and the like. The memory 22 is not limitedto being internal to the terminal apparatus 20 and may be an externalstorage module connected through a digital input/output port or thelike, such as USB.

The input interface 23 includes one or more input interfaces thatreceive a user input operation and acquire input information based onthe user operation. The input interface 23 may, for example, be aphysical key, a capacitance key, a touchscreen provided integrally withthe display of the output interface 24, a microphone that receives audioinput, or the like, but these examples are not limiting.

The output interface 24 includes one or more output interfaces thatoutput information to the user to notify the user. For example, theoutput interface 24 may be a display that outputs information as images,a speaker that outputs information as sound, or the like, but theseexamples are not limiting. At least one of the input interface 23 andthe output interface 24 described above may be formed integrally withthe terminal apparatus 20 or be provided separately.

The controller 25 includes one or more processors. The controller 25 iscommunicably connected with each component of the terminal apparatus 20and controls operations of the terminal apparatus 20 overall.

(Outline of Operations)

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating details of acontroller 15 based on functional units to illustrate the functions ofthe controller 15 of FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 2, an outline of theoperations of the information processing system 1 implemented by thefunctions of the controller 15 is mainly described.

The functions of the controller 15 include a drawing designation unit151, a drawing format judgment unit 152, an element extraction unit 153,a comparison/judgment unit 154, a conversion unit 155, and a displaycontrol unit 156.

The drawing designation unit 151 designates a plurality of drawings forcomparison, or a drawing for generating an intermediate model, whilereferring to the memory 12. The drawing designation unit 151 may furtherdesignate a range for comparison in the designated drawings. The drawingdesignation unit 151 may execute these designation processesautomatically or based on input information from the user acquired fromat least one of the input interface 13 of the information processingapparatus 10 and the input interface 23 of the terminal apparatus 20.

For a first drawing and a second drawing with different formats, thedrawing format judgment unit 152 identifies the format of the firstdrawing and the second drawing for comparison in order to compare thefirst drawing and the second drawing based on an intermediate model. Thedrawing format judgment unit 152 may extract a drawing name from adrawing file name, a drawing name column indicated in the drawing, orthe like and identify the format of the drawing based on an extension orthe like. The drawing format judgment unit 152 may also contrastelements illustrated in the drawing with the drawing rules, describedbelow, to identify the drawing format. These examples are not limiting.The drawing format judgment unit 152 may identify the drawing formatbased on input information from the user acquired from at least one ofthe input interface 13 of the information processing apparatus 10 andthe input interface 23 of the terminal apparatus 20.

The element extraction unit 153 extracts the necessary elements fromeach of a plurality of drawings for comparison designated by the drawingdesignation unit 151. Based on the first drawing for comparisondesignated by the drawing designation unit 151, the element extractionunit 153 extracts elements necessary for matching the format of thedrawing to the format of the second drawing and extracts elements toremove.

The comparison/judgment unit 154 compares first abstract modelsgenerated for a plurality of drawings for comparison. Similarly, whenthe formats of drawings for comparison differ, the comparison/judgmentunit 154 compares the first abstract model (intermediate model)generated for the first drawing for comparison and the first abstractmodel based on the second drawing for comparison. Thecomparison/judgment unit 154 judges whether a difference exists based onthe result of comparing the first abstract models (one of which is anintermediate model when the drawing formats differ). When a differenceis judged to exist, the comparison/judgment unit 154 specificallyidentifies the locations corresponding to the difference.

The conversion unit 155 converts the necessary elements extracted by theelement extraction unit 153 to a first abstract model including elementinformation and connection information. The conversion unit 155generates an intermediate model as a first abstract model based only onthe necessary elements extracted by the element extraction unit 153. Theconversion unit 155 converts the first abstract model (intermediatemodel) to a second abstract model for display on at least one of theoutput interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 and theoutput interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20. Conversion isunnecessary when the first abstract model for processing (forcomparison) and the second abstract model for display are the same.

To display a plurality of second abstract models on at least one of theoutput interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 and theoutput interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20, the display controlunit 156 executes adjustment and editing processes, such as matching thedisplay positions of matching element information (elements that are thesame between drawings) included in a plurality of second abstractmodels, generating display information for displaying the differingportion in a different form than other portions, and the like. Thedisplay control unit 156 may execute these display adjustment andediting processes as necessary based on input information from the useracquired from at least one of the input interface 13 of the informationprocessing apparatus 10 and the input interface 23 of the terminalapparatus 20.

(First Example of Operations)

A first example of operations of the information processing system 1implemented by the functions of the controller 15 is mainly describedbelow.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a pre-changedrawing that includes elements configuring a plant. FIG. 3B is aschematic diagram illustrating an example of a post-change drawing thatincludes elements configuring a plant. Based on a predetermined drawingformat, FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate the connection relationships betweena plurality of elements configuring the plant.

The changes between FIGS. 3A and 3B are the addition of a strainer tothe input and the removal of a temperature controller at an overheadportion. Even an experienced user cannot easily discover the differencesat a glance by making a direct comparison between such old and newdrawings based on drawings that include elements configuring a plant.

The element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 therefore extractselements from the drawings that include elements configuring a plant.The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 converts the drawings to anabstract model or converts an abstract model to an abstract model of adifferent format. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exampleof display of element information and connection information in a secondabstract model. The second abstract model is yielded by extractingelements necessary for comparison from a plurality of drawings with alarge amount of information and representing connection relationshipsbetween the elements by line segments to represent the elementsconcisely. The second abstract model has a common format for alldrawings to indicate which elements are included in a drawing and theconnection relationship by which the elements are connected. Drawingscan therefore be compared. The line segments indicate which elements areconnected in each drawing, i.e. the order and connection relationshipsof elements.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the second abstract model is an abstractrepresentation of a drawing. The elements configuring the plant are, forexample, represented by nodes as element information in the secondabstract model. A pipe forming part of the plant, for example, is onenode. The connection relationships between elements are, for example,represented by edges as connection information.

The nodes are, for example, classified into three types. One type is anend node with only one edge. One type is a terminal pair node with twoedges. One type is a branch node, described below in the second exampleof operations, that has three or more edges.

FIG. 4 illustrates four examples of a second abstract model representedby end nodes and terminal pair nodes. As illustrated in FIG. 4, thedisplay form may change in accordance with the type of node. The endnode may, for example, be represented by an element graphic that has aframe with four rounded corners and the element type attached inside.The terminal pair node may, for example, be represented by an elementgraphic that has a square frame and the element type attached inside.

In the example in the highest tier, four terminal pair nodes A, B, C, Dare arranged in series. Node A and node B are connected by edge E1. NodeB and node C are connected by edge E2. Node C and node D are connectedby edge E3.

In the example in the second tier from the top, one end node Z and threeterminal pair nodes A, B, C are arranged in series. Node Z and node Aare connected by edge E1. Node A and node B are connected by edge E2.Node B and node C are connected by edge E3.

In the example in the third tier from the top, two end nodes Z, Y andtwo terminal pair nodes A, B are arranged in series. Node Z and node Aare connected by edge E1. Node A and node B are connected by edge E2.Node B and node Y are connected by edge E3.

In the example in the lowest tier, only two end nodes Z, Y are arrangedin series. Node Z and node Y are connected by edge E1.

The comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15 judges whether adifference exists between one first abstract model based on one drawingand another first abstract model based on another drawing. When thecomparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15 judges that adifference exists between the one first abstract model and the otherfirst abstract model, the display control unit 156 of the controller 15generates display information for displaying the differing portion in adifferent form than other portions.

In the first example of operations, the element extraction unit 153 ofthe controller 15 extracts the portion in which elements are connectedin series, i.e. a series chain, from each of the plurality of drawingsfor comparison. In the present disclosure, a “series chain” includes agroup of elements, for example, included in a drawing and arranged inseries. The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 converts a serieschain to element information arranged in series in the first abstractmodel and the second abstract model. The display control unit 156 of thecontroller 15 arranges pieces of the element information determined tobe identical between the one first abstract model and the other firstabstract model so that the positions of the pieces of the elementinformation in the array direction are identical in the second abstractmodel. In other words, the display control unit 156 aligns the positionsof the element information in the second abstract model so that thepieces of element information are arranged at matching positions in thearray direction. For example, the display control unit 156 arrangesseries chains indicating the same location in the drawings forcomparison so that pieces of element information corresponding toelements indicating the same device or the like in each drawing arealigned and arranged in parallel in the second abstract model. Thedisplay of a concise second abstract model generated in this way bymatching the positions of corresponding elements facilitatesconfirmation by the user.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for concretely illustrating the firstexample of operations. FIG. 5 illustrates the state in which the displaycontrol unit 156 of the controller 15 displays a pre- and post-changecomparison of the change to an element in the input portion of FIGS. 3Aand 3B. With reference to FIG. 5, the first example of operations isdescribed in greater detail.

For example, at the input portion in FIG. 3A, an input terminal and apump are connected in series as pre-change elements. The elementextraction unit 153 of the controller 15 extracts this portion arrangedin series (a series chain including the input terminal and the pump)from FIG. 3A. The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 converts suchan extracted series chain into a first abstract model of a series chainin which an end node T based on the input terminal and a terminal pairnode P based on the pump are connected by an edge E1 and representedconcisely. The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 converts thegenerated first abstract model of the series chain to a second abstractmodel.

For example, at the input portion in FIG. 3B, an input terminal, astrainer, and a pump are arranged in series as post-change elements. Theelement extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 extracts this portionarranged in series (a series chain including the input terminal, thestrainer, and the pump) from FIG. 3B. The conversion unit 155 of thecontroller 15 converts such an extracted series chain into a firstabstract model of a series chain in which an end node T based on theinput terminal, a terminal pair node S based on the strainer, and aterminal pair node P based on the pump are connected by correspondingedges E1, E2. The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 converts thegenerated first abstract model of the series chain to a second abstractmodel.

Based on at least one of identification information and attributeinformation included in the nodes, the comparison/judgment unit 154 ofthe controller 15 determines that predetermined element information isidentical between the one first abstract model and the other firstabstract model. For example, the comparison/judgment unit 154 determinesthat the end node T in the pre-change first abstract model is identicalto the end node T in the post-change first abstract model. For example,the comparison/judgment unit 154 determines that the terminal pair nodeP in the pre-change first abstract model is identical to the terminalpair node P in the post-change first abstract model.

The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 arranges pieces of theelement information determined by the comparison/judgment unit 154 to beidentical between the one first abstract model and the other firstabstract model so that the pieces of the element information are facingalong one grid line among a plurality of grid lines separated in onedirection, for example in the array direction of the elementinformation, at predetermined intervals in the second abstract model.For example, the display control unit 156 arranges the end node T in thepre-change first abstract model and the end node T in the post-changefirst abstract model along the same grid line in the second abstractmodel. For example, the display control unit 156 arranges the terminalpair node P in the pre-change first abstract model and the terminal pairnode P in the post-change first abstract model along the same grid linein the second abstract model.

When corresponding element information is missing in one of the onefirst abstract model and the other first abstract model, thecomparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15 judges that adifference exists between the one first abstract model and the otherfirst abstract model. For example, since a node corresponding to theterminal pair node S in the post-change first abstract model is missingin the pre-change first abstract model, the comparison/judgment unit 154judges that a difference exists between the pre-change first abstractmodel and the post-change first abstract model. At this time, thedisplay control unit 156 of the controller 15 displays one secondabstract model and another second abstract model in a state without thefacing element information.

When the comparison/judgment unit 154 judges that the difference existsbetween the one first abstract model and the other first abstract model,the display control unit 156 of the controller 15 generates displayinformation for displaying the differing portion in a different formthan other portions. For example, the display control unit 156 generateshighlight information for highlighting the post-change terminal pairnode S, which is the differing portion, with a different display colorthan other portions in the second abstract model. Based on the generateddisplay information, the display control unit 156 causes at least one ofthe output interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 andthe output interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20 to display acomparison between the pre- and post-change second abstract modelsincluding the differing portion.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart based on the first example of operations. Withreference to FIG. 6, an example of operations by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 based on the first example of operations ismainly described.

In step S101, the drawing designation unit 151 of the controller 15designates a plurality of drawings for comparison. The drawingdesignation unit 151 may further designate a range for comparison in thedesignated drawings.

In step S102, the element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15extracts necessary elements from the drawings designated in step S101,such as the portions where elements are connected in series.

In step S103, the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 generatesfirst abstract models based on the element groups extracted in stepS102.

The processing by the element extraction unit 153 in step S102 and theprocessing by the conversion unit 155 in step S103 are not limited tothe above order. For example, the controller 15 may execute theprocessing of step S102 after first executing the processing of stepS103.

In step S104, the comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15compares the first abstract models generated in step S103 for theplurality of drawings for comparison and makes judgments such as whethera difference exists between the first abstract models. In greaterdetail, the comparison/judgment unit 154 judges whether correspondingelement information is missing in one first abstract model or in anotherfirst abstract model. When it is judged that a difference exists betweenthe first abstract models, the controller 15 executes the processing ofstep S105. When it is judged that no difference exists between the firstabstract models, the controller 15 ends the processing.

When it is judged that a difference exists between the first abstractmodels in step S104, the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15converts the first abstract models generated in step S103 to secondabstract models in step S105. Similarly, the display control unit 156 ofthe controller 15 causes at least one of the output interface 14 of theinformation processing apparatus 10 and the output interface 24 of theterminal apparatus 20 to display a comparison of one second abstractmodel and another second abstract model including the differing portion.At this time, the display control unit 156 arranges pieces of theelement information determined by the comparison/judgment unit 154 to beidentical between the one first abstract model and the other firstabstract model so that the pieces of element information are on the samegrid line in the second abstract model. Additionally, the displaycontrol unit 156 generates display information for displaying thediffering portion in a different form than other portions.

The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 causes at least one ofthe output interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 andthe output interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20 to display theconverted second abstract models while reflecting, as necessary, thedisplay information generated in step S105. In this way, the displaycontrol unit 156 displays the second abstract models and encouragesconfirmation by the user only when a difference exists between the firstabstract models for comparison. This example is not limiting. When nodifference exists between the first abstract models for comparison, thedisplay control unit 156 may display the second abstract models as theyare to convey to the user that the drawings (or portions thereof) match.For example, when no difference exists, the display control unit 156 mayprovide a display using character information, the second abstractmodel, and the like to convey that the drawings for comparison match.

Various modifications can be made to the display control executed by thedisplay control unit 156 of the controller 15 in the first example ofoperations. Such modifications are mainly described below.

In the first example of operations, the end node has been described asbeing displayed as a frame with four rounded corners and the elementtype attached inside, and the terminal pair node has been described asbeing displayed as a square frame with the element type attached inside.However, this example is not limiting. The nodes may be displayed aselement graphics with any shape. For example, nodes with directionalitymay be displayed with shapes including triangles, trapezoids, and thelike. The nodes may also be displayed directly by highly visible drawingsymbols of elements as in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

In the first example of operations, nodes have been described as beingdisplayed with one character attached as the element type, but thisexample is not limiting. The nodes may be displayed in a state with atleast one of a freely chosen character string, symbol, or elementdrawing symbol attached in any appropriate form.

In the case of a horizontal series chain, the nodes may be centered inthe vertical direction. In the case of a vertical series chain, thenodes may be centered in the horizontal direction. Visibility improvesby a series chain being displayed in this way as a concise array ofnodes. The nodes may be displayed with the same width or with differentwidths. For example, the nodes are accurately arranged by the width ofall the nodes and the width of all the edges being identical. Display ofthe grid lines therefore becomes unnecessary.

The intervals between grid lines may be equal or may be matched to thenode width or the like, without being equal. The display form of thegrid lines may differ between the differing portion, i.e. where adifference exists between nodes, and other portions. For example, thegrid lines may be displayed with a difference in at least one of thecolor, line type, and thickness between the differing portion and theother portions.

The edges have been displayed as lines in the first example ofoperations, but this example is not limiting. The edges may be displayedusing any graphic. The edges may be displayed by arrows to make thedirection clear.

In FIG. 5, the input terminal of the drawing is also included in theseries chain, but the input terminal may be displayed simply as an endnode in the second abstract model, without being included in the serieschain.

The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 may display and managegroups of nodes arranged in series based on series chains in a statesuch that the groups of nodes have line names or the like assignedthereto.

For example, nodes identified as being identical based only on theidentification information and arranged on the same grid line mayinclude different attribute information. In this case, the displaycontrol unit 156 of the controller 15 may represent that a differenceexists in the attribute information by changing at least one of thedisplay color and line type between the nodes.

Together with the display of the second abstract models, the displaycontrol unit 156 of the controller 15 may additionally display aconfirmation checkmark or the like to indicate whether the user hasconfirmed the display result.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for illustrating a modification related tocontrol, executed by the element extraction unit 153 of the controller15, to extract a series chain in the first example of operation.

For example, logical signal lines for control may be illustrated indrawings such as a P&ID, as indicated by the dashed lines in FIGS. 3Aand 3B. These logical signal lines are often electrical wiring, but theconnection method may be wireless instead of wired. For the purpose ofcomparing and confirming piping equipment and the like in a plant, theelement extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 may filter out theselogical signal lines when extracting the connection elements in series.

After the element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 filters outthe logical signal lines and extracts a series chain, the resultingpost-change elements for the input portion in FIG. 3B, for example, arean input terminal, a strainer, a pump, a flow controller, and a controlvalve arranged in series, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The elementextraction unit 153 of the controller 15 extracts such a series chainincluding the input terminal, the strainer, the pump, the flowcontroller, and the control valve from FIG. 3B. The conversion unit 155of the controller 15 converts such an extracted series chain into afirst abstract model in which an end node T based on the input terminal,a terminal pair node S based on the strainer, a terminal pair node Pbased on the pump, a terminal pair node SF based on the flow controller,and a terminal pair node V based on the control valve are connected bycorresponding edges E1, E2, E3, E4. The conversion unit 155 may performnecessary processing or replacement at the time of conversion inaccordance with notation rules for the drawings and the model. For thisreason, “flow control (FC)” may become “flow sensor (SF)”, and “TC” maybecome “ST”, in the drawings from FIG. 7 onward. The informationprocessing apparatus 10 may save the notation rules for the drawings andthe model in the memory 12 or the like for use. The conversion unit 155of the controller 15 converts the first abstract model to a secondabstract model. The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 causesat least one of the output interface 14 of the information processingapparatus 10 and the output interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20 todisplay the converted second abstract model.

In the first example of operations, the drawings have been described asbeing converted by the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 to afirst abstract model for processing and then to a second abstract modelfor display, but this example is not limiting. The conversion unit 155may directly convert the drawings to the second abstract model, skippingover the first abstract model. At this time, the comparison/judgmentunit 154 may use the second abstract model instead of the first abstractmodel when performing the above-described process to judge thedifference between one abstract model and another abstract model.

(Second Example of Operations)

A second example of operations of the information processing system 1implemented by the functions of the controller 15 is mainly describedbelow. FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram, corresponding to FIG. 3B,illustrating an example of a post-change drawing that includes elementsconfiguring a plant. FIG. 8A differs from FIG. 3B in that logical signallines for control, indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3B, are removed byfiltering. FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram, corresponding to FIG. 8A, inwhich the series chain of FIG. 8A is arranged for easier viewing. FIG.8C is a schematic diagram illustrating a first abstract model generatedby the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 based on FIG. 8B. FIGS.8B and 8C respectively illustrate a drawing and a first abstract modelgenerated by the controller 15 at intermediary stages of the conversionprocessing from FIG. 8A to FIG. 8D and need not actually be displayed bythe output interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 orthe like. FIG. 8D is a schematic diagram illustrating a furthersimplification of the second abstract model in FIG. 8C.

In addition to extracting a series chain, as in the first example ofoperations, the element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 in thesecond example of operations also extracts a group of elements includedin a drawing and arranged in parallel from each drawing among theplurality of drawings for comparison. The element extraction unit 153 ofthe controller 15 converts elements included in the drawing and arrangedin parallel to element information arranged in parallel in the firstabstract model and the second abstract model.

For example, a series chain including an input terminal, a strainer, apump, a flow controller, and a control valve as post-change elements isarranged at the input portion in FIG. 8B. A filling tower is connectedto this series chain, and a plurality of elements are further connectedto the filling tower in parallel. The element extraction unit 153 of thecontroller 15 extracts this series chain and the group of elementsarranged in parallel from FIG. 8B. Based on the extracted series chainand group of elements arranged in parallel, the conversion unit 155 ofthe controller 15 generates a first abstract model such as the oneillustrated in FIG. 8C.

In FIG. 8C, a branch node C is arranged following a plurality of nodesarranged in series, from the end node T to the terminal pair node V,corresponding to the series chain of the input portion in FIG. 8B. Thebranch node C has six edges, including the edge at the input side. Inaddition to the node group arranged in series from the end node T to theterminal pair node V, corresponding to the series chain of the inputportion, four other similar node groups are arranged in series withrespect to the series chain at the input portion in FIG. 8C. Thecontroller 15 can represent a large-scale plant with thousands or tensof thousands of elements as a first abstract model that includes endnodes, node groups arranged in series, and branch nodes.

As illustrated in FIG. 8D, the display control unit 156 of thecontroller 15 modularizes (abbreviates) the plurality of node groupsarranged in series in FIG. 8C and displays the node groups as lines L1,L2, L3, L4, L5. Since this model is an abstract model of series chains,the model may be configured as necessary for a detailed series chain tobe displayed when the user clicks on an abbreviated portion. To confirmthe model overall, for example, the user can collapse (i.e. hide fromdisplay) series chains to suppress information when unnecessary andexpand series chains as necessary to confirm details of certain parts.The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 thus simplifies aplurality of node groups, arranged in series, by lines for more conciserepresentation as a second abstract model based on end nodes, lines, andbranch nodes.

Alternatively, the display control unit 156 may display “abbreviated”and “detailed” switching buttons along with the second abstract modeldisplayed in FIG. 8D. The display control unit 156 may display thesecond abstract model in a form with the series chain sectionsabbreviated, as in FIG. 8D, when the abbreviated mode is selected. Thisis useful for the user to gain an overall idea of the second abstractmodel, for example. The display control unit 156 may display the secondabstract model in a detailed display form with the abbreviated sectionsexpanded, as in FIG. 8C, when the detailed mode is selected. At thistime, the display control unit 156 may identify elements by using dashedlines to surround an element group in a series chain that can beabbreviated as a block while displaying other elements not in a serieschain with different colors, for example.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a secondabstract model yielded by conversion of the drawing in FIG. 3A. FIG. 9Bis a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a second abstractmodel yielded by conversion of the drawing in FIG. 3B. FIG. 9C is aschematic diagram in which the second abstract models of FIGS. 9A and 9Bare arrayed vertically. FIG. 9D is a schematic diagram in which thesecond abstract models of FIGS. 9A and 9B are arrayed horizontally. Thedisplay control unit 156 of the controller 15 displays the secondabstract models illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, which are the result ofconverting drawings for comparison which include groups of elementsarranged in series and in parallel, in parallel for comparison asillustrated in FIGS. 9C and 9D. The illustrated guidelines includingsolid and dashed lines are optional. The arrangement, intervals, and thelike of element information are unified in the abstract model. Thearrangement relationships between pieces of element information aretherefore matched when the ends, the centers, or the like of the piecesof element information are aligned, facilitating comparison andconfirmation by the user.

Based on at least one of identification information and attributeinformation included in the nodes, the comparison/judgment unit 154 ofthe controller 15 determines that predetermined element information isidentical between the one first abstract model and the other firstabstract model. For example, the comparison/judgment unit 154 determinesthat the branch node C in the pre-change first abstract model isidentical to the branch node C in the post-change first abstract model.For example, the comparison/judgment unit 154 determines that the branchnode SP in the pre-change first abstract model is identical to thebranch node SP in the post-change first abstract model.

The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 arranges pieces ofelement information (which may include a series chain combining aplurality of pieces of element information) determined by thecomparison/judgment unit 154 to be identical between one first abstractmodel and another first abstract model so that the arrangementrelationship is identical in each second abstract model, and so that thepositions in one direction are identical in the second abstract model.For example, in the case of a vertical array as in FIG. 9C, each pieceof element information is displayed so that the positions of the elementinformation match in the direction of series arrangement. For example,in the case of a horizontal array as in FIG. 9D, each piece of elementinformation is displayed so that the positions of the elementinformation match in the parallel direction, i.e. the height direction.For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 9C and 9D, the display control unit156 arranges the element information so that the arrangementrelationships of the branch node C in the pre-change second abstractmodel and the arrangement relationships of the branch node C in thepost-change second abstract model are identical. For example, thedisplay control unit 156 arranges the element information so that thearrangement relationships of the branch node SP in the pre-change secondabstract model and the arrangement relationships of the branch node SPin the post-change second abstract model are identical.

For example, the display control unit 156 displays corresponding elementinformation and connection information for the same element between aplurality of second abstract models after matching the positions of theelement information and connection information in the horizontaldirection or the vertical direction. In greater detail, when displayingFIGS. 9A and 9B vertically in parallel, the display control unit 156adjusts the horizontal positions of the element information for thehorizontally arranged line L1, branch node C, line L3, branch node P,line L4, and the like to match, as illustrated in FIG. 9C. Similarly,when displaying FIGS. 9A and 9B horizontally in parallel, as illustratedin FIG. 9D, the display control unit 156 adjusts the vertical positionsof the element information for the vertically arranged line L2, line L4,line L5, and the like to match, as illustrated in FIG. 9D. The displaycontrol unit 156 increases visibility for the user and facilitatescomparison by thus displaying element information to match in shape andhave corresponding vertical or horizontal positions.

The comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15 judges that adifference exists between one first abstract model and another abstractmodel when the connection information associated with certain elementinformation in the one first abstract model is different from theconnection information associated with element information determined tobe identical to the certain element information in the other firstabstract model. For example, since the number of edges associated withthe branch node C in the pre-change first abstract model differs fromthe number of edges associated with the branch node C in the post-changefirst abstract model, the comparison/judgment unit 154 judges that adifference exists between the pre-change first abstract model and thepost-change first abstract model. At this time, the display control unit156 of the controller 15 displays one second abstract model and anothersecond abstract model in a state with different connection information.

When it is judged that a difference exists between the one firstabstract model and the other first abstract model, the display controlunit 156 of the controller 15 generates display information fordisplaying the differing portion in a different form than otherportions. For example, the display control unit 156 generates highlightinformation for highlighting the pre-change end node ST, which is adiffering portion removed by the change, with a different display colorthan other portions in the second abstract model. For example, thedisplay control unit 156 generates highlight information based on thefirst example of operations for highlighting the pre- and post-changelines L1, which are a differing portion where a strainer is added by thechange, with a different display color than other portions in the secondabstract model. Based on the generated display information, the displaycontrol unit 156 causes at least one of the output interface 14 of theinformation processing apparatus 10 and the output interface 24 of theterminal apparatus 20 to display a comparison between the pre- andpost-change second abstract models including the differing portion.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart based on the second example of operations. Withreference to FIG. 10, an example of operations by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 based on the second example of operations ismainly described.

In step S201, the drawing designation unit 151 of the controller 15designates a plurality of drawings for comparison. The drawingdesignation unit 151 may further designate a range for comparison in thedesignated drawings.

In step S202, the element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15extracts element groups arranged in series chains and in parallel fromthe drawings designated in step S201.

In step S203, the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 generatesfirst abstract models based on the element groups arranged in serieschains and in parallel extracted in step S202.

The processing by the element extraction unit 153 in step S202 and theprocessing by the conversion unit 155 in step S203 are not limited tothe above order. For example, the controller 15 may execute theprocessing of step S202 after first executing the processing of stepS203.

In step S204, the comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15compares the first abstract models generated in step S203 for theplurality of drawings for comparison and makes judgments such as whethera difference exists between the first abstract models. In greaterdetail, the comparison/judgment unit 154 judges whether the connectioninformation associated with certain element information in one firstabstract model is different from the connection information associatedwith element information determined to be identical to the certainelement information in another first abstract model. When it is judgedthat a difference exists between the first abstract models, thecontroller 15 executes the processing of step S205. When it is judgedthat no difference exists between the first abstract models, thecontroller 15 ends the processing.

When it is judged that a difference exists between the first abstractmodels in step S204, the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15converts the first abstract models generated in step S203 to secondabstract models in step S205. Similarly, the display control unit 156 ofthe controller 15 causes at least one of the output interface 14 of theinformation processing apparatus 10 and the output interface 24 of theterminal apparatus 20 to display the one second abstract model and theother second abstract model. At this time, the display control unit 156of the controller 15 modularizes (abbreviates) a plurality of nodegroups arranged in series to reduce the amount of information for moreconcise representation as a second abstract model based on end nodes,lines, and branch nodes. Additionally, the display control unit 156generates display information for displaying the differing portion in adifferent form than other portions.

The display control unit 156 of the controller 15 causes at least one ofthe output interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 andthe output interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20 to display theconverted second abstract models while reflecting, as necessary, thedisplay information generated in step S205. In this way, the displaycontrol unit 156 displays the second abstract models and encouragesconfirmation by the user only when a difference exists between the firstabstract models for comparison. This example is not limiting. When nodifference exists between the first abstract models for comparison, thedisplay control unit 156 may display the second abstract models as theyare to convey to the user that the drawings (or portions thereof) match.For example, when no difference exists, the display control unit 156 mayprovide a display using character information, the second abstractmodel, and the like to convey that the drawings for comparison match.

The various modifications described above in the first example ofoperations similarly apply to the second example of operations.

(Third Example of Operations)

A third example of operations of the information processing system 1implemented by the functions of the controller 15 is mainly describedbelow. For example, when drawings with different formats are compared,the types of elements of the plant to be illustrated in each drawing andthe information level vary greatly. It is therefore not easy to comparethese drawings mechanically. To address this, the controller 15 matchesthe information level of a first drawing and a second drawing forcomparison in the third example of operations.

For example, the memory 12 stores information on drawing rules, such asthose listed in Table 1 below, determined for each drawing format. Thecontroller 15 refers as necessary to the information on the drawingrules stored in the memory 12. These drawing rules may include commonrules generally used in the technical field related to the plant andunique rules determined freely by the user.

TABLE 1 Main Other Control Manual instrumentation instrumentation valvevalve Pipe PFD ◯ X ◯ X X P&ID ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ 3D piping ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ diagram

When the drawing format differs, the types of plant elements that needto be depicted in the drawing differ. In terms of information level, thelevel increases in the order of PFD, P&ID, and 3D piping diagram, forexample. The information level of a PFD is lowest, for example, and someelements depicted in a P&ID may not even be depicted (may beunnecessary) in a PFD drawing.

For example, suppose that a manual valve is added to a P&ID drawing.This is an element not depicted in a PFD to begin with. Accordingly, ifthe controller 15 includes the manual valve of a P&ID drawing in thecomparison between a PFD drawing and the P&ID drawing, the controller 15mistakenly detects the manual valve as a differing portion, i.e. anelement to be added to the PFD. It is thus useless for the controller 15to detect elements unnecessary in a PFD one by one and present theelements to the user. For example, the user is forced to makesuperfluous decisions, which could lead to confusion. The controller 15therefore compares the first drawing and the second drawing aftermatching the information level between the first drawing and the seconddrawing for comparison as necessary, for example by removing, inadvance, information not contained in the PFD to begin with, such asmanual valves.

For example, the drawing format judgment unit 152 of the controller 15judges whether the first drawing and the second drawing includingelements configuring the plant have different formats. When it is judgedthat the first drawing and the second drawing have different formats,the element extraction unit 153 of the controller 15 removes theelements unnecessary for comparison among the elements included in thefirst drawing, for example. The conversion unit 155 of the controller 15then generates an intermediate model for the first drawing by matchingthe format of the first drawing to the format of the second drawing. Inother words, based on the first drawing for comparison designated by thedrawing designation unit 151, the element extraction unit 153 extractselements necessary for matching the format of the drawing to the formatof the second drawing and extracts elements to remove. The conversionunit 155 then generates an intermediate model as a first abstract modelbased only on the necessary elements.

At this time, when the elements to be depicted in the first drawing asdetermined based on the first format include elements unnecessary in thesecond drawing as determined based on the second format, the conversionunit 155 removes the elements unnecessary in the second drawing from thefirst drawing to match the constituent element level of the drawings andgenerate an intermediate model (a first abstract model with a unifiedlevel) for the first drawing to enable a comparison under unifiedconditions.

In greater detail, the conversion unit 155 converts each of the firstdrawing and the second drawing to a first abstract model represented byelement information and connection information and generates one firstabstract model based on the first drawing as the intermediate model withinformation level matching applied thereto. For example, when convertingthe first drawing to the first abstract model, the conversion unit 155performs the conversion while excluding unnecessary elements to generatea first abstract model (intermediate model) with unified conditions. Ifthe first abstract model of the first drawing and the second abstractmodel of the second drawing are compared without any processing beingperformed, then the first abstract model includes elements not needingto be depicted in the second drawing, making an appropriate comparisondifficult. The element extraction unit 153 therefore excludes elementsnot needing to be depicted in the second drawing from the first drawing,and the conversion unit 155 generates the first abstract model withunified conditions for the first drawing, matching the level of theconstituent elements.

FIG. 11A is a schematic drawing illustrating an example of a firstdrawing based on a first format. FIG. 11B is a schematic drawingillustrating an example of a second drawing based on a second format.FIG. 11C is a schematic drawing illustrating an example of anintermediate model generated by the controller 15 for the first drawingof FIG. 11A.

When the first format is P&ID, for example, a manual valve isillustrated as an element configuring the plant in the first drawing, asillustrated in FIG. 11A. Additionally, in the first drawing, a strainerhas been added to the input portion as an element configuring the plant.

When the second format is PFD, for example, a manual valve is notillustrated in the second drawing, as illustrated in FIG. 11B, even whenthe manual valve is actually incorporated in the plant as an elementconfiguring the plant. Additionally, the strainer is not incorporated inthe input portion as an element configuring the plant and is notillustrated in the second drawing.

At this time, when the drawing format judgment unit 152 of thecontroller 15 judges that the first drawing and the second drawing havedifferent formats, the element extraction unit 153 and the conversionunit 155 of the controller 15 generate an intermediate model by matchingthe P&ID to the PFD and extracting elements based on the first drawing.In greater detail, the controller 15 removes the manual valve, which isnot common to the P&ID and the PFD, from the first drawing and extractsonly the common elements from the first drawing to generate anintermediate model, such as the one illustrated in FIG. 11C, as thefirst abstract model.

For example, the element extraction unit 153 and the conversion unit 155convert the first drawing to an intermediate model as a first abstractmodel in which an end node T based on an input terminal, a terminal pairnode S based on a strainer, a terminal pair node P based on a pump, anda terminal pair node SF based on a flow controller are connected bycorresponding edges E1, E2, E3.

Based on the intermediate model generated for the first drawing forcomparison, the comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller 15 judgeswhether a difference exists between the first drawing and the seconddrawing. In this way, the comparison/judgment unit 154 of the controller15 judges the difference by comparing the first drawing and the seconddrawing in a state such that element-related conditions are matchedbetween the first drawing and the second drawing.

For example, the comparison/judgment unit 154 compares the intermediatemodel, such as the one in FIG. 11C, generated for the first drawing withanother first abstract model, such as the one illustrated in FIG. 11B,based on the second drawing. At this time, the comparison/judgment unit154 judges that a difference exists between the first drawing and thesecond drawing, since a strainer has been added to the input portion ofthe intermediate model generated for the first drawing, whereas thestrainer has not been added to the input portion of the other firstabstract model based on the second drawing. In this way, the informationprocessing apparatus 10 excludes the manual valve from the comparisonand can thereby detect only the strainer, which is the difference thatshould be detected.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart based on the third example of operations. Withreference to FIG. 12, an example of operations by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 based on the third example of operations ismainly described.

In step S301, the drawing designation unit 151 of the controller 15designates a first drawing and a second drawing for comparison. Thedrawing designation unit 151 may further designate a range forcomparison in the designated drawings.

In step S302, the drawing format judgment unit 152 of the controller 15judges whether the first drawing and the second drawing includingelements configuring the plant have different formats. The controller 15executes the processing of step S303 upon judging that the first drawingand the second drawing have different formats. The controller 15executes the processing of step S304 upon judging that the first drawingand the second drawing have the same format.

When the first drawing and the second drawing are judged to havedifferent formats in step S302, the element extraction unit 153 of thecontroller 15 excludes unnecessary elements and extracts necessaryelements from the first drawing in step S303 to generate an intermediatemodel, for the first drawing, that matches the format of the firstdrawing to the format of the second drawing, for example.

In step S304, the controller 15 executes the aforementioned processingdescribed in the first example of operations or the second example ofoperations. In greater detail, the controller 15 executes the processingfrom step S102 to step S105 of FIG. 6 or from step S202 to step S205 ofFIG. 10.

For example, in step S304, the comparison/judgment unit 154 of thecontroller 15 judges whether a difference exists between (i) theintermediate model generated in step S304 based on the processing ofstep S303 as the first abstract model based on the first drawing and(ii) the other first abstract model based on the second drawing. Thecomparison/judgment unit 154 thereby judges whether a difference existsbetween the first drawing and the second drawing. When it is judged thata difference exists between one first abstract model (intermediatemodel) and another first abstract model, the controller 15 generatesdisplay information for displaying the differing portion in a differentform than other portions. The corresponding explanation in the firstexample of operations or the second example of operations applies to theprocessing in step S304.

In the third example of operations, a drawing has been described asbeing converted by the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 to anintermediate model as a first abstract model for processing and then toa second abstract model for display, but this example is not limiting.The conversion unit 155 may directly convert the drawing to anintermediate model as a second abstract model, skipping over the firstabstract model. At this time, the comparison/judgment unit 154 may usethe second abstract model instead of the first abstract model whenperforming the above-described process to judge the difference betweenthe first drawing and second drawing.

In the third example of operations, the element extraction unit 153 andthe conversion unit 155 of the controller 15 have been described asgenerating an abstract model based on a drawing as an intermediatemodel, but this example is not limiting. The controller 15 may generatea drawing as an intermediate model by removing unnecessary elements andextracting only necessary elements from a drawing. For example, theelement extraction unit 153 and the conversion unit 155 may generate adrawing as an intermediate model by removing the manual valve, which isnot common to a P&ID and a PFD, from the first drawing illustrated inFIG. 11A. At this time, the comparison/judgment unit 154 may use thedrawings, yielded by conversion of the first drawing, as an intermediatemodel to judge whether a difference exists between the first drawing andthe second drawing.

(Effects)

According to the information processing apparatus 10 of the aboveembodiment, the efficiency of work by a user who uses drawings for aplant improves. For example, when it is judged that a difference existsbetween one abstract model based on one drawing and another abstractmodel based on another drawing, the controller 15 generates displayinformation for displaying the differing portion in a different formthan other portions. The user can thereby compare the content of aplurality of drawings visually and confirm the differing portion and thelike quickly and accurately in the abstract model displayed as displayinformation on at least one of the output interface 14 of theinformation processing apparatus 10 and the output interface 24 of theterminal apparatus 20.

A plurality of drawings for comparison can be compared and thecomparison result can be confirmed easily by the controller 15converting elements included in a drawing and arranged in series to afirst abstract model and a second abstract model of series chains. Sincethe display of the second abstract model is extremely concise, the usercan easily confirm the existence of errors, omissions, changes, and thelike. Work efficiency therefore increases, work hours decrease, andaccuracy also improves. Accordingly, omissions and mistakes inconfirmation by the user are reduced. The work by a user who handles alarge volume of drawings for the same equipment can thereby be performedaccurately in a short time, and the occurrence of work errors and fataldefects in the plant can be suppressed during design, construction, andmaintenance of a large-scale plant.

The array of element information is better ordered by the controller 15arranging pieces of element information so that the positions ofcorresponding elements in the second abstract models are aligned. Thesecond abstract model is thereby more visible for the user.

The user can see at a glance which pieces of element information areidentical by the controller 15 arranging pieces of element informationdetermined to be identical between one first abstract model and anotherfirst abstract model so that the pieces of element information are onthe same grid line. The efficiency and accuracy of work by the usertherefore improve.

When corresponding element information is missing in one of the onefirst abstract model and the other first abstract model, the user caneasily confirm the differing portion between one second abstract modeland another second abstract model by the information processingapparatus 10 displaying the one second abstract model and the othersecond abstract model in a state without the facing element information.

A comparison can easily be made between groups of elements arranged inparallel between a plurality of drawings for comparison, and thecomparison results can easily be confirmed, by the controller 15converting parallel elements included in a drawing to elementinformation arranged in parallel in the first abstract model and thesecond abstract model. Since the display of the second abstract modelbased on such groups of elements is concise, the user can easily confirmchanges. Consequently, work efficiency increases, and omissions andmistakes in confirmation by the user are reduced. The work by a user whohandles a large volume of drawings for the same equipment can thereby beperformed accurately in a short time, and the occurrence of work errorsand fatal defects in the plant can be suppressed during design,construction, and maintenance of a large-scale plant.

The display of the second abstract model that includes groups ofelements arranged in parallel becomes even more concise by thecontroller 15 causing node groups arranged in series to be modularizedand displayed as lines. The efficiency and accuracy of work by the usertherefore improve.

The user can see at a glance which pieces of element information areidentical by the controller 15 arranging pieces of element informationdetermined to be identical between one first abstract model and anotherfirst abstract model so that the arrangement relationship is identicalin each second abstract model, and so that the positions in onedirection are identical in the second abstract model. The efficiency andaccuracy of work by the user therefore improve.

The user can easily recognize that the connection information differsbetween one second abstract model and another second abstract model bythe controller 15 causing the one second abstract model and the othersecond abstract model to be displayed in a state with differingconnection information. For example, to compare second abstract models,it suffices for the user to focus on the change in the number ofbranches of each branch node, the change in the number of lines and endnodes, and the like. Omissions and the like by the user are thereforereduced, while efficiency and accuracy of work by the user improve.

The information processing apparatus 10 can easily identify identicalpieces of element information by the controller 15 determining thatpieces of element information are identical based on the identificationinformation. By the controller 15 determining that pieces of elementinformation are identical based on the attribute information in additionto or instead of the identification information, the informationprocessing apparatus 10 can identify identical pieces of elementinformation more accurately even when it cannot be determined whetherpieces of element information are identical based only on theidentification information.

When the display information includes highlight information forhighlighting the differing portion based on at least one of a displaycolor, a display format, a display line type, an additional displaysymbol, and an additional display character, the user can compare thecontent of a plurality of drawings visually and confirm the differingportion and the like quickly and accurately in the second abstract modeldisplayed together with the highlight information. The efficiency andaccuracy of work by the user therefore improve.

According to the information processing apparatus 10 of the aboveembodiment, the efficiency of work by a user who uses drawings for aplant improves. For example, the controller 15 generates an intermediatemodel, for at least one of the first drawing and the second drawing,such that the format of the first drawing and the format of the seconddrawing are matched and then judges whether a difference exists betweenthe first drawing and the second drawing based on the generatedintermediate model. The information processing apparatus 10 can therebyuse the intermediate model configured only by elements common to thefirst drawing and the second drawing to compare the first drawing andthe second drawing in a state such that the information levels arematched. Accordingly, the accuracy of comparison by the informationprocessing apparatus 10 increases. Additionally, by at least one of theoutput interface 14 of the information processing apparatus 10 and theoutput interface 24 of the terminal apparatus 20 displaying theintermediate model with the information levels matched as the secondabstract model, the user can accurately compare the content of aplurality of drawings visually and confirm the differing portion or thelike even for a first drawing and a second drawing that have differentdrawing formats. The efficiency and accuracy of work by the usertherefore improve.

The controller 15 generates the intermediate model for the first drawingby extracting only elements common to the first drawing and the seconddrawing from the first drawing. The information processing apparatus 10can thereby compare the drawings after matching the information level ofthe first drawing based on the first format and the information level ofthe second drawing based on the second format. For example, theinformation processing apparatus 10 can compare a PFD drawing with aP&ID drawing, which includes elements unnecessary in the PFD forcomparison, by matching the P&ID drawing to the PFD drawing, i.e.matching the levels of the drawings.

(Modifications)

Although the present disclosure is based on embodiments and drawings, itis to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparentto those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure. Therefore,such changes and modifications are to be understood as included withinthe scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions and thelike included in the components, steps, and the like may be reordered inany logically consistent way. Furthermore, components, steps, and thelike may be combined into one or divided.

For example, the present disclosure may also be embodied as a programcontaining a description of the processing for achieving the functionsof the above-described information processing system 1 or a storagemedium with the program recorded thereon. Such embodiments are also tobe understood as falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the drawings before and after a change made toequipment of a plant have mainly been described as the target ofcomparison, but this example is not limiting. The drawings forcomparison may include any drawings created by different users in thesame time period for the same equipment of the plant.

In the above embodiment, the conversion unit 155 of the controller 15has been described as generating an intermediate model only for thefirst drawing, but this example is not limiting. The conversion unit 155may generate the intermediate model that matches the format of the firstdrawing and the format of the second drawing to each other for at leastone of the drawings. For example, the controller 15 may extract only theelements common to the first format and the second format from each ofthe first drawing and the second drawing to generate an intermediatemodel as a first abstract model for each of the first drawing and thesecond drawing. The comparison/judgment unit 154 may then compare afirst intermediate model generated for the first drawing and a secondintermediate model generated for the second drawing.

At least a portion of the processing operations executed by theinformation processing apparatus 10 in the above embodiment may beexecuted by the terminal apparatus 20, for example. At least a portionof the processing operations executed by the terminal apparatus 20 maybe executed by the information processing apparatus 10.

1. An information processing apparatus for supporting work by a user whouses drawings for a plant, the information processing apparatuscomprising: a controller configured to convert a drawing includingelements configuring the plant into an abstract model represented byelement information indicating the elements and connection informationindicating a connection relationship between the elements; and generatedisplay information, when it is judged that a difference exists betweenone abstract model based on one drawing and another abstract model basedon another drawing, for displaying a differing portion in a differentform than another portion.
 2. The information processing apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the abstract model includes a first abstract model forprocessing by the controller and a second abstract model, yielded byconversion of the first abstract model, for display to the user, and thecontroller is configured to convert elements arranged in series amongthe elements included in the drawing into element information arrangedin series in the first abstract model and in the second abstract model.3. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein thecontroller is configured to arrange pieces of the element informationdetermined to be identical between one first abstract model and anotherfirst abstract model so that positions of the pieces of the elementinformation in an array direction are identical in the second abstractmodel.
 4. The information processing apparatus of claim 3, wherein thecontroller is configured to arrange the pieces of the elementinformation determined to be identical between the one first abstractmodel and the another first abstract model so that the pieces of theelement information are facing along one grid line among a plurality ofgrid lines separated in the array direction at predetermined intervalsin the second abstract model.
 5. The information processing apparatus ofclaim 4, wherein when corresponding element information is missing inone of the one first abstract model and the another first abstractmodel, the controller is configured to display one second abstract modeland another second abstract model in a state without the facing elementinformation.
 6. The information processing apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe controller is configured to convert elements arranged in parallelamong the elements included in the drawing into element informationarranged in parallel in the first abstract model and in the secondabstract model.
 7. The information processing apparatus of claim 6,wherein the controller is configured to arrange pieces of the elementinformation determined to be identical between one first abstract modeland another first abstract model so that an arrangement relationship isidentical in each second abstract model, and positions of the pieces ofthe element information in one direction are identical in the secondabstract model.
 8. The information processing apparatus of claim 6,wherein when the connection information associated with certain elementinformation in one first abstract model is different from the connectioninformation associated with element information determined to beidentical to the certain element information in another first abstractmodel, the controller is configured to display one second abstract modeland another second abstract model in a state such that the connectioninformation differs.
 9. The information processing apparatus of claim 2,wherein the element information includes identification information foridentifying the elements and attribute information of the elements; andthe controller is configured to determine that pieces of the elementinformation are identical between one first abstract model and anotherfirst abstract model based on at least one of the identificationinformation and the attribute information.
 10. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display informationincludes highlight information for highlighting the differing portionbased on at least one of a display color, a display format, a displayline type, an additional display symbol, and an additional displaycharacter.
 11. An information processing method for execution by aninformation processing apparatus that supports work by a user who usesdrawings for a plant, the information processing method comprising:converting a drawing including elements configuring the plant into anabstract model represented by element information indicating theelements and connection information indicating a connection relationshipbetween the elements; judging whether a difference exists between oneabstract model based on one drawing and another abstract model based onanother drawing; and generating display information, when it is judgedthat the difference exists between the one abstract model and theanother abstract model, for displaying a differing portion in adifferent form than another portion.
 12. A non-transitory computerreadable medium storing a program executable by one or more processorsto cause an information processing apparatus, which supports work by auser who uses drawings for a plant, to execute functions comprising:converting a drawing including elements configuring the plant into anabstract model represented by element information indicating theelements and connection information indicating a connection relationshipbetween the elements; judging whether a difference exists between oneabstract model based on one drawing and another abstract model based onanother drawing; and generating display information, when it is judgedthat the difference exists between the one abstract model and theanother abstract model, for displaying a differing portion in adifferent form than another portion.